When we go away on a trip, so does Fisher (most of the time). Although, he isn’t nearly as happy about it. Normally, Ryan takes care of getting Fisher into the carrier. He doesn’t mind being the bad guy. Ryan makes it look easy. He scoops Fisher up and slides him into the carrier. Before this last trip, however, Ryan was back in the States and I was on my own with Fisher.

I’m not ashamed to admit it took me two days to get my little man safely into the carrier without incident. First, I had to bring Ryan’s new luggage into the apartment and hide it the day before so that Fisher didn’t suspect we were traveling. Next, I brought the carrier into the living room and covered it with a big puffy coat so Fisher couldn’t see it. On the morning of our big trip to the Katzen Pension, I put on a big coat and scooped Fisher up close to pet him. I walked around petting him tricking my poor kitty into thinking I was just cuddling him then I quickly pushed him into carrier and shut the door. In four years of living with our 15 pound slick little kitty who always manages to escape, this was the first time I got him into the carrier alone. I was probably more proud and excited about this than really necessary but it was kind of a big deal!

Next, I drove Fisher to the katzen pension, feeling guilty the entire way. Fisher sat in his carrier meow/growling at me but probably actually growling at the fact that we were going about 120KMH on the autobahn and to a cat, I imagine that is petty scary.

Ryan found this great resort-like katzen pension (kitty hotel). We know the drill at now but it was odd the first time we took Fisher to this new pension and I was a little worried.

They don’t believe in cages here. The pension we used before would let the cats out into a large outdoor enclosure but they had time alone in separate cages. Since the move Fisher has been a little nervous around people (flying in cargo will do that, I guess) so I am always a little anxious leaving him alone with strangers. I took pictures on our first visit to the pension to remind myself that Fisher was in a kitty paradise while we were exploring Athens.

Just look at this place! The image on the right is just one of the large outdoor enclosures where the cats can climb and hide and play. As you can see pets are treated very well here as they are everywhere in Germany. Fisher came home with a slightly raised sense of confidence, which allowed him to believe it was ok to climb on the coffee table but that passed quickly. Now, he is back to being his lazy, loving self.

The images below are smaller outdoor, covered passage ways between the very large open areas. The kitty keepers keep the gates closed on either side as they walk though being careful not to let any of the cats through the gates. This extra bit of security and safety made me feel a little better about leaving Fisher alone.

You can see examples of how well pets are treated in Germany everywhere from the corner cafe to parks to major department stores where dog owners are allowed to walk their dogs on leashes. It always amazes us how well-behaved the dogs are. Dogs in cafes sit quietly under the tables completely ignoring food, kids and usually other dogs.

We love living in a place where animals are treated so well and I’m sure Fisher appreciates it too!